So, It's Halloween

There are no decorations on my lawn.  There is no pumpkin in the window.  There are no fun-sized, hermetically sealed Snickers in my house ready to pass out to hopeful children.  Hell, there are no hopeful children in my neighborhood.  Well, the neighbor's grandkids are here most days, but if they're hoping for candy, they'd better be driving somewhere else.  If their mom was smart, she took them to one of the area 'trunk n treat' events over the weekend and they've already scored.

Halloween isn't what it used to be.

I don't remember my childhood for the most part, but I imagine Halloweens filled with children running from house to house getting goodies.  It was dark and cold.  (I grew up in Michigan, folks.)  But it wasn't scary.  It was fun. 

And then we'd go home and Dad would inspect all our candy for issues.  We weren't allowed toeat any of it until he pronounced it safe.  Yeah, it was the '70s, but even then, there were rumors of candy-tampering.  Razor blades in apples.  Pins in candybars.  I don't know if Dad ever found anything hinky.  I do know we wouldn't have been allowed to eat anything homemade unless we could tell him exactly which person put it into our bag.  And if he didn't know the person, it went into the trash.  Better safe than sorry. 

I passed out candy when we lived in town.  We never got very many kids by the house - the golf course subdivision gave out better candy than any neighborhood we resided in.  Still, we got plenty.  And most of them were good kids.  A few turds, but nothing to ruin the entire holiday. 

Not sure what it looks like out there in Halloween land these days.  Certain costumes you can't wear because someone somewhere might be offended.  (I have an old picture of some family kids in their Halloween finest.  One cousin is dressed as Aunt Jemima - complete with blackface.  Hey, it was the '40s, when no one really got their undies in a wad.)  Trick or treating is held in broad daylight so no kid gets lost in the dark or gets stolen or gets... whatever'd.  There are these 'trunk or treat' things, where kids can march from car to car, getting stuff thrown in their bags.  What fun that must be. 

I don't know.  I guess the world we live in makes it this way.  I don't have any kids of an age to care about Halloween anymore.  Mine's 24 and she's off doing her thing.  And I'm kind of glad because Halloween this new way makes me sad. 

So, for me, today is just another day - only with more scary movies on TV.

Do you have any plans for tonight?  Or did you do your Halloween thing over the weekend?  What's your favorite go-to treat for Halloween?  Mine's always been Snickers, btw.  =o)